Out of Egypt
Exodus 1-20: Israel's slavery, the call of Moses, the plagues and the Passover, the crossing of the sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai.
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Sign in to start- 1Exodus 1: Israel Oppressed in Egypt
The descendants of Jacob multiply greatly in Egypt, and a new Pharaoh who does not know Joseph forces them into harsh slavery. When they keep increasing, he orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the baby boys, but they fear God and refuse, so Pharaoh commands all boys to be thrown into the Nile.
- 2Exodus 2: The Birth and Flight of Moses
A Levite mother hides her baby in a basket on the Nile, and Pharaoh's daughter adopts him as Moses. Grown, Moses kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew and flees to Midian, where he marries Zipporah, while God hears Israel's groaning and remembers his covenant.
- 3Exodus 3: The Burning Bush
God appears to Moses in a bush that burns without being consumed and calls him to bring Israel out of Egypt. When Moses asks his name, God reveals himself as I AM, the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and promises to strike Egypt and bring the people out.
- 4Exodus 4: Moses Sent Back to Egypt
God gives Moses signs to show the elders, including a staff that becomes a snake, but Moses protests that he cannot speak well. God appoints Aaron to speak for him. On the way, the Lord confronts Moses until Zipporah circumcises their son, and the elders believe.
- 5Exodus 5: Bricks Without Straw
Moses and Aaron ask Pharaoh to let Israel go to worship, but Pharaoh refuses, saying he does not know the Lord. He makes the slaves gather their own straw while keeping the same brick quota, the Israelite foremen blame Moses, and Moses complains to the Lord.
- 6Exodus 6: I Am the Lord
God assures Moses that he will redeem Israel with an outstretched arm, take them as his people, and bring them to the land promised to their fathers. The people are too discouraged to listen. The chapter records the family line of Moses and Aaron, and God again sends Moses to Pharaoh.
- 7Exodus 7: Aaron's Staff and the Nile Turned to Blood
God tells Moses that he will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply his signs so Egypt will know he is the Lord. Aaron's staff becomes a serpent and swallows the magicians' staffs. In the first plague, the Nile turns to blood, but the magicians imitate it and Pharaoh's heart stays hard.
- 8Exodus 8: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies
God sends plagues of frogs, gnats, and flies on Egypt. The magicians cannot reproduce the gnats and admit it is the finger of God. God sets Goshen apart so no flies swarm there, and Pharaoh twice promises to let Israel go but hardens his heart once relief comes.
- 9Exodus 9: Livestock, Boils, and Hail
God strikes Egypt's livestock with disease while sparing Israel's, afflicts people and animals with boils, and sends a devastating hailstorm. God says he raised up Pharaoh to show his power and proclaim his name, and though Pharaoh admits his sin, he hardens his heart again.
- 10Exodus 10: Locusts and Darkness
God tells Moses that he has hardened Pharaoh's heart so Israel can tell their children of his signs. Locusts devour what the hail left, and then thick darkness covers Egypt for three days while the Israelites have light. Pharaoh refuses to let their livestock go and threatens Moses.
- 11Exodus 11: The Final Plague Announced
The Lord tells Moses that one more plague will make Pharaoh drive Israel out, and the Israelites are to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold. Moses warns that at midnight every firstborn in Egypt will die, while not even a dog will growl at Israel, and he leaves Pharaoh in anger.
- 12Exodus 12: The Passover and the Exodus
God institutes the Passover: each household is to kill a spotless lamb, put its blood on the doorposts, and eat it with unleavened bread. At midnight the Lord strikes Egypt's firstborn but passes over homes marked by blood, and Pharaoh drives Israel out after 430 years.
- 13Exodus 13: Firstborn Consecrated and the Pillar of Cloud
God claims every firstborn in Israel as his and commands that the Feast of Unleavened Bread be kept as a memorial of the exodus. He leads the people by the way of the wilderness rather than through Philistine land, going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.
- 14Exodus 14: Crossing the Red Sea
God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and the Egyptian army pursues Israel to the sea. Moses tells the terrified people to stand firm and see the Lord's salvation. The Lord parts the sea, Israel crosses on dry ground, and the waters return to drown the Egyptians, so the people fear and trust the Lord.
- 15Exodus 15: The Song of Moses and the Bitter Water
Moses and Israel sing a song of praise to the Lord, the warrior who triumphed over Pharaoh's army, and Miriam leads the women in dancing. Three days later the people grumble at the bitter water of Marah, the Lord makes it sweet, and he reveals himself as the Lord who heals.
- 16Exodus 16: Manna from Heaven
In the wilderness the people grumble for food, remembering Egypt's pots of meat. God sends quail in the evening and manna each morning, bread from heaven gathered daily, with a double portion on the sixth day so they can rest on the Sabbath. A jar of manna is kept as a memorial.
- 17Exodus 17: Water from the Rock and Victory over Amalek
At Rephidim the people quarrel with Moses for lack of water, and God tells Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, which gushes water. When Amalek attacks, Israel prevails while Moses' hands are raised, supported by Aaron and Hur, and Moses builds an altar called the Lord is my banner.
- 18Exodus 18: Jethro's Advice
Moses' father-in-law Jethro brings Zipporah and her sons to Moses, rejoices over what the Lord has done for Israel, and offers sacrifices. Seeing Moses judge the people alone from morning to evening, Jethro advises him to appoint capable, God-fearing men to judge smaller cases.
- 19Exodus 19: Israel at Mount Sinai
At Sinai God tells Israel that if they keep his covenant, they will be his own special people, a priestly and holy nation. The people consecrate themselves, and on the third day God descends on the mountain in fire, smoke, thunder, and trumpet blast as the mountain trembles.
- 20Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments
God speaks the Ten Commandments to Israel, beginning with his identity as the Lord who brought them out of slavery. The people are terrified by the thunder and ask Moses to speak to them instead. God gives instructions for altars and forbids making gods of silver or gold.